A key match in the Eastern Conference is ahead on Sunday afternoon when the New York Red Bulls play host to the Houston Dynamo at Red Bull Arena before an ESPN2 audience. The teams both still currently sit in playoff positions, separated by two points in the conference standings. The Red Bulls are coming off back-to-back losses, last a 3-0 defeat at Philadelphia Union. The Dynamo are riding a six-game winless streak of their own, following a scoreless draw at home with Toronto FC a week ago.

I don't normally write posts encouraging fans to watch non-Dynamo games, but Saturday's match between the Chicago Fire and the New York Red Bulls carries a lot of significance, on and off the field.

On the field, these are two teams ahead of the Dynamo in the standings. The Fire and Red Bulls are currently tied for second place in the Eastern Conference, four points ahead of the Dynamo. With three games to go in the regular season, the Dynamo would love nothing more than to clinch a playoff spot and finish in one of the top three positions, thus missing the one-game wild-card match between the fourth and fifth place teams.

Off the field, Saturday's match is the second MLS match to be broadcast on the main NBC channel. The first was on September 15, when the Portland Timbers played the Seattle Sounders to a 1-1 draw in front of a sold-out crowd at JELD-WEN Field.

MLS is in the first year of a TV deal with NBC Sports and by all accounts, the partnership has been a success, with higher ratings and top-notch broadcasts on both NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network. We encourage all fans to support the growth of the league and tune in to Saturday's match on NBC before heading to BBVA Compass Stadium for our match vs. the Montreal Impact. Below is a complete TV schedule for Saturday's matches.